Many Years in Passing
by justplainrii
Summary: Several years have gone by since Tamaki graduated from Ouran, and over time, he has lost touch with the original members of the host club.  However, a chance encounter with Haruhi on a plane to Tokyo ignites a hope in his heart... to reunite the club!
1. The Passing of the Years

_The First Year_

Mori was beside himself. It was the first time Haruhi had ever seen him really cry.

"We're going to miss you _so_ much!" Hunny said, tears oozing out of his own eyes as he clung to the sole female member of the Host Club. "Promise me, _promise_ me that you'll call me and visit me _all_ the time, okay?!"

Haruhi gave him a reassuring smile. "Hunny-senpai, of course we'll all keep in touch."

"Really? Really?" Hunny said, and Haruhi nodded.

"Yes. Won't we, Tamaki-senpai?" she said. Tamaki was tearfully dabbing at his eyes with a lace handkerchief.

"Our family is falling apart..." he exclaimed.

"It is _not_, m'lord," the twins chorused, but neither of them looked particularly happy about the event that was unfolding that day.

The only one unruffled, of course, was Kyoya. "I've already selected quite a few promising new freshmen to begin tomorrow," he said from his post at his computer. "We'll have your replacements by the end of the first new school week, I expect."

Mori looked more heartbroken than Hunny, standing their and holding their diplomas.

"We're being replaced...?!" Hunny wailed.

"You thought we would keep you following your graduation...?" Kyoya retorted coolly. "There are always going to be new members of the Host Club every year. It _is _a club, after all."

"It won't be the same, not at _all_," Tamaki said mournfully, and blew his nose with the handkerchief. Haruhi patted Hunny soothingly on the back.

"Hunny-senpai, I'm absolutely sure that there's nobody in the school that could _ever_ replace you, _or_ Mori-senpai," she said. Her glance darted sideways, slightly exasperated. "Believe me, I doubt it."

Hunny wrapped his arms around her neck and continued to cry. "Haru-chan!"

"You know, no doubt Renge-san would agree with me that new 'types' would be excellent for business," Kyoya added, neatly typing in a line for his database. "This will be an exciting event for our frequent customers―those that aren't graduating, of course."

"Uncalled-for!" the twins said, frowning.

"Kyoya-senpai, could you at least _pretend _that you're going to miss Hunny-senpai and Mori-senpai?" Haruhi said, glancing at him. The collar of her uniform was getting wet from Hunny's tears, and Mori was beginning to produce tissues from his sleeve. Kyoya didn't reply.

"You know, you and Kyoya are gonna be leaving next year," Hikaru remarked. "That means it'll be just us and Haruhi, m'lord."

With this realization, Tamaki began to cry louder than Hunny.

_The Second Year_

"Haruhi, I don't want to leave!" Tamaki declared, on his final day in the music room.

"You're making a spectacle of yourself, m'lord," Kaoru said disapprovingly.

"You don't have that much of a choice, Tamaki-senpai," Noboru, one of the freshmen, said. Of the three new additions, he was charmingly studious and straitlaced. Renge declared him a "glasses" character immediately upon his entry, even though his eyesight was fine. He wore fake lenses, but he was not wearing them now.

"But I'm _sure_ there's a way!" Tamaki continued, waving his arms near the unflappable Haruhi. "Mother, _tell_ me there's a way."

Kyoya was having issues of his own, whizzing through databases at lightning speed on his computer, a grimace on his face. "There's absolutely no way..." he muttered.

"Mother, are you listening to me?" Tamaki whined, as Haruhi resolutely marched away to be with Yuki and Bonta―they were of the Rebel and Shota types, respectively.

Although normally a very well-mannered boy, Yuki (his family being highly successful actors) took on the role of a delinquent of the highest degree, refining his accent, dress, and manner to appeal to any girl with a weakness for bad boys. Renge adored him for his effort.

Bonta (though everybody called him Bonbon), on the other hand, was short and squat, with a round, pleasant face and an immense love of sweets―his family did own a chocolate manufacture, after all. Although not as petite as Hunny, he still succeeded in charming girls and letting them coddle him immensely.

"Gosh, Yuki exclaimed―nobody was around, so he was his kind and thoughtful self again, "Kyoya-senpai, is something the matter?"

"It's just impossible," Kyoya replied, although it was most likely that he was talking to himself. "There's absolutely _nobody_."

"Haruhi, your mother is ignoring me..." Tamaki said, continuing to whine.

"Tamaki-senpai, pull yourself together," she said, snapping a little.

"Yeah, m'lord, you're acting worse than Hunny-senpai, almost," Hikaru added.

Tamaki produced the lace handkerchief, tucking the tube of his diploma under his arm, and wiping dramatically at his eyes. "Hunny-senpai..." he sniffed. "He's barely called us at _all_, hasn't he?"

However, his remarks were ignored as Kyoya clutched at his head and looked like he was about to pull some of his hair out. "Shut up, shut up, _shut up!!_" he yelled.

"Kyoya-senpai!" Noboru exclaimed. "What in the _world_ is the _matter?_"

"Can there be just _one_ person in this _entire_ school capable of handling the finances when I leave?!" he said, slamming his palms on the table, and practically screaming. His diploma quavered a little from the impact and nearly rolled away.

"Is that what has you stressed?" Haruhi said, peering over his shoulder―he was looking at small biographies of students, it seemed. "Kyoya-senpai, shouldn't you have been doing this earli-"

"I was!" Kyoya said, glaring at Haruhi; she shivered a little. This was a side of Kyoya rarely seen outside of the occasional early-morning visit to his house. "There is absolutely _nobody_ even _remotely_ capable of even coming _close_ to managing the club well. At all!" He held his forehead in his hands.

"Kyoya-senpai, I've been practicing my accounting, actually..." Noboru said meekly. "I had a feeling that this sort of issue might aris-"

"You? You think you could handle all this?" Kyoya said sharply, and gave a cruel laugh. "You presume too much. Too much."

"I'm sure I could manage, Kyoya-senpai," Noboru continued, feeling uncomfortably intimidated but determined to hold his ground. Haruhi, Tamaki, and the rest of the club watched as the confrontation continued to unfold. "I mean, you were younger than me when you began managing the club, and, well... I'm the top of my class, senpai."

"It's true!" Bonbon added. "He is!"

Kyoya slammed his fists down on the table. His diploma was sent violently rolling away, and everyone jumped back a little.

"Kyoya, are you... all right?" Tamaki said, cautiously coming closer, completely dropping his melodrama of minutes ago. The handkerchief had vanished. "If it's any comfort, I really think Noboru would do a good jo-"

"Shut up!" Kyoya yelled. "You know _damn_ well how I feel, you idiot!" His voice, an enormous, raging thing, filled the entire room. "You'd let somebody like... like _Noboru_ run the club? Well! Well, you know what? If you think you can do it," he said, glaring at Noboru, "be my guest. Be my guest."

With unusual intensity and calm, Kyoya picked up his diploma from the floor and headed for the exit.

"Kyoy-" Tamaki began, but the boy turned around to face all of them, with a stern expression.

"Good afternoon," he said, and left, his laptop still glowing on the table.

_The Third Year_

"Everyone, we've had a fantastic year together," Haruhi said, standing in front of the seven other members of the Host Club. The twins had decided that she was to make a speech, and after much embarrassed jostling, she finally gave in. "We've made records, this year, and the girls at the school have never been happier, I suppose!"

The hosts laughed, including Noboru, who sat behind the laptop that was once Kyoya's, performing the duties that were once also his. The two new additions―a Wallflower named Katsuo and a King that had the potential to rival Tamaki named Sejiro―laughed as well.

"Now, this year is an important one for all of us," Haruhi said, once the laughter had died down. "As of tomorrow, all of you will be on your own. It'll be a whole new experience for everybody, because it'll be the first year that none of the members of the original club like me or Hikaru-san or Kaoru-san will be around to help. As I said, you'll be on your own.

"Now," she added with a reassuring smile, "we're all very certain that you'll be just fine without us, and will be able to bring your own special touch to the club."

"Like lap dances!" Yuki teased. Everyone laughed, Haruhi included, and Katsuo turned a deep shade of pink.

"Yuki-kun, if Tamaki-senpai heard you saying that..." she sighed.

"He'd say, 'Anything to make the women happy, to the point of being almost vulgar!'" Bonbon said with a grin, and everyone began laughing again.

"Everyone, everyone! One last thing!" Haruhi said, getting over her giggles. "I'd just like to say how proud I am of you. The future of this club rests in your hands, and I'm sure everyone that began it would agree with me in saying it couldn't be in more capable ones!"

"Agreed!" the twins said, and they began to clap.

The next day, nearly all that was left of the old Host Club was gone with the students that had formed it.

_Many Years in Passing_

Tamaki was discontented.

What discontented him the most was the fact that he knew there wasn't much to complain about in his life.

He was a world-renowned concert pianist, with CD's and awards to his name. He had done tours and CD signings, and spoken at camps to young prodigies of the instrument he loved.

He was marvelously wealthy, even when his father's fortune wasn't taken into account. He had homes in Paris, in New York, and Tokyo.

He had a private jet, which was now currently in repairs, and found him in his current environs―on a first class seat in a plane bound for Tokyo, where he sipped some sort of fruit-flavored cocktail that he couldn't remember the name of. He always went to Tokyo to relax, because while he had grown up in France, everyone he truly cared about lived in Japan.

However, even if he wanted to, there was never an opportunity for him to connect with the people he held dearest.

Kyoya had been the most distant and the most productive, becoming CEO of his father's company, and subsequently overtaking at least three other major medical supply companies, while holding business relations with countless more. He and Tamaki hadn't talked since their final day of school and his angry storming-out of the music room. All and any news of him was received from the newspapers.

The Hitachiins had enjoyed a great amount of success as television personalities and fashion critics. Tamaki saw them on television screens around the world, with their dusky orange hair cut long and over their shoulders, dispensing witty remarks on the hits and misses of the fashion world.

They had written to him once or twice, encouraging him to "write a film score or something, so we can see you at the Oscars and make fun of you." It was all, of course, in good fun, but Tamaki felt he had little to no talent in composing things. "I'll pass," he had written back.

"You're no fun," they replied, and Tamaki felt a little sad that their customary "m'lord" was missing. So it went.

Hunny and Mori had stayed at their dojo to teach, and Tamaki heard little to nothing from them, aside from the odd little New Year card.

Renge was working for her father as head of their marketing department, or for a company that produced dating sims, or both. Either way, Tamaki felt it was wholly appropriate for her. Whatever she was doing, he reasoned, she was doing it extremely well.

As for Haruhi, well...

Last he heard, she qualified for a scholarship at some prestigious law school, and that was that. He could assume from what few emails and cards he got from her and others was that she was happy and doing well for herself.

Tamaki bitterly sipped at his drink and drummed his fingers on the comfortable leather seat. He loved simply being in the same country as these people he cared so dearly about, but found he could never find time to actually _be_ with them. None of them called him, and he felt that if he were to somehow call up any of them, he'd be cast aside as some unwanted annoyance, or someone simply too unimportant for their busy lives.

In his old age (he shuddered at the thought―he was only in his mid-30's, and so was everyone else) he realized how much of an idiot he had been as a teenager, and how annoying his behavior must have been. _Especially_ to Haruhi and Kyoya, the two people he yearned the most to see, and yet were the least close to him in his present state. Rejection seemed all too possible a consequence if he should try to contact them now.

Maybe that was why he was so discontent, he thought. Finding no comfort in the revelation, he finished the drink and fingered a piece of music that he was practicing in the air.

People were still boarding the plane, stowing their bags up top in the nearby business class and reading newspapers. It would be a while before they would leave. Not that he particularly minded; he would probably fall asleep or mindlessly watch the in-flight movie, and he was already getting ready for it by blocking out the passage of time. It was a skill he had learned over the years, inadvertently.

"Tamaki-san?"

A voice, somewhat young and surprised, hovered over his right year. A voice he knew he had heard before, many times before, and it seemed to be speaking Japanese.

Then, he saw who the voice belonged to, and he could hardly believe his eyes.

"Haruhi?"

There she was, with her wide brown eyes set on her round, boyish face. Her hair was still rather short, and playfully clipped back with mismatched barrettes.

Her face lit up. "So it _is_ you!" she said. "Well, what a―would you look at that... I think I'm seated next to you!"

"Are you kidding?" Tamaki said, and Haruhi shook her head, sitting next to him and storing her bag in front of her. "What are you doing here?"

"Going to visit my dad," she replied. "What are _you_ doing here? I haven't seen you in ages! I see you... haven't changed much!'

"You either!" he said, meaning every word. She was really as beautiful and... Haruhi-ish as he remembered. "I'm here for the relaxation. I , uh, have a house in Tokyo."

"You don't say," Haruhi said, looking unimpressed―of course she wouldn't be.

"Yeah, it's like my vacation home," he said. "But anyways... wow! It's just great to see you, really!"

Haruhi nodded warmly. "Uh-huh, you too! How long has it been, anyways? Since school? Wow, that was so long ago."

"Yeah..." Tamaki replied.

"What have you been doing with yourself?" she said, and continued before he could reply. "I've completely lost contact with everybody. I don't even know what they've all been up to since school."

"Seriously? Well, I'm sure you've seen Hikaru and Kaoru on TV," Tamaki said.

"I don't watch much TV," Haruhi admitted.

"Oh."

"Still! Wow, they got into television, huh?" she said. "Good for them! What sorts of things?"

"Fashion critics," Tamaki said.

"I should have known."

"Oh yeah, they just love doing it."

"Well, what about everybody else?" Haruhi said, as the pilot announced that the plane doors had closed.

Tamaki smiled, and began to talk.

They continued to talk about all and everything―for several hours, in fact―stopping to watch the in-flight film on its second run through and to eat dinner. Tamaki couldn't remember a time when he had ever laughed so much from a conversation. It was just like old times, almost.

She had become, as he had expected, a lawyer. World-class, in fact, and he could hardly stop praising her for it. "If I ever got in trouble," he told her, "I'd want you to be my lawyer, I think."

"I'm flattered, Tamaki-san," she laughed. "But, you're probably right..." she added, with that sarcastic sideways glance of hers. It made him smile.

He was almost sad when the pilot announced that they would be touching down in Tokyo soon, and that he was turning on the seatbelt sign. His habit of letting time pass by quicker than it seemed had gotten the better of him.

He turned to Haruhi, reading a book beside him; this was his chance! A chance to connect with her again, before she was gone for good.

However, he found that she had started writing something on a piece of paper, and handed it to him.

"What's this?" he asked.

"It's my cell phone number," she said. "I'm not going to be doing much in the next week or so, so if you want to do something in the afternoon, I'd love to hear from you."

His face lit up. "You really mean it?"

She nodded. "Of course! I'd like to spend more time with you while I'm in town, Tamaki-san. Time that's not in an airplane, that is."

He took the note and folded it in his vest pocket, grinning. "Do you want mine?" he asked.

"Sure, I don't see why not," she said. Eagerly, he took his napkin and borrowed Haruhi's pen to write down his number, and handed it to her.

"I'll see you later," she said, and put her finger to her lips somewhat playfully. "I'm going to finish reading now, okay?"

"Okay," he said, and beamed.

Tamaki exited the plane a different man, saying nothing more than a casual farewell to Haruhi after he left his seat. He retrieved his baggage, was greeted by his driver, and went directly to his bedroom upon reaching his home.

He then flipped open his cell phone, and began to dial.

It wasn't just the fact that he had spoken to Haruhi that was making him act this way, but the fact that she hadn't rejected his company―she had enjoyed it! She had given him her cell phone number!

She had given him hope.

He had reached an answering machine, but still, he left a message.

"Hikaru? Kaoru? Good news. We're going to visit Haruhi tomorrow."


	2. A Contest Made

Chapter 2

At an apartment somewhere in Tokyo, three men bearing dessert arrived, unexpectedly. One of them rang the doorbell.

"Haruhi!" they said, wide smiles on their faces.

The woman that opened the door was 40-something, somewhat flabby, and honestly not expecting the people now on her doorstep. "Who's Haruhi?" she said.

"Doesn't... Haruhi live here?" a somewhat foreign-looking man with blond hair, who led the band, said.

"I don't know any Haruhis," the woman replied folding her arms. "Maybe you got the wrong address?" She smiled, as the men looked amongst themselves for an answer. "I'm Ayako, by the way."

"I'm sure that they used to live here..." the man said, scratching his chin. "Do you know the Fujiokas?"

"Uh... no?" Ayako said, a little miffed that the gorgeous men weren't paying any attention to her. She _was_ a little good-looking, to tell the truth. "Why, did they used to live here?"

"Yeah, in this apartment," a man with orange-ish hair said, pointing to the apartment's name-plate. Instead of Fujioka, it read Manabe. Ayako turned red, finally recognizing who exactly he was.

"Oh, m-my, you're, um... Hikaru Hitachiin..." she said, twirling a bit of her hair absently. "Oh, I watch your show all the time..."

"Thank you for your support!" he said brightly. "Now, do you know anyone that could tell us where the Fujiokas went?"

"I think that the landlady might know..." said Ayako, her face still flushed. "She's owned this building for quite a while."

"Hey, thanks!" said the blond man, grinning. "Thanks a lot!"

And, so, they left, Ayako absently waving as they went. She was kicking herself the next day, when she went to work without evidence that Hikaru Hitachiin himself, along with his brother Kaoru, had shown up on her front door asking for somebody named Haruhi.

Of course, nobody at all believed her.

-///-

Haruhi was, at that moment, driving home from the grocery store. Being in her father's presence always made her feel uncontrollably domestic.

Almost as soon as she had arrived at her father's home in Japan (she had bought it for him one year as a Christmas present, to his delight), Haruhi was preparing a nice cup of tea for herself, and very soon after that, some dinner. Funny as it sounded, it was almost relaxing, busying herself in a way that didn't involve research and questioning.

"I think soba was a great choice for tonight," she said to herself, turning into the driveway. "Oh, Dad's just gonna love it, I thi-"

Why were there two cars parked in front of her father's house, and expensive ones at that?

Immediately, she began to get a little worried, and parked the rental car as quickly as she could. Leaving the groceries in the trunk, she found the front door unlocked, bursting into the house to find...

"Is that Haruhi?"

"Ah, Haruhi-chan! You're home! Come join your papa for a bit, I have a surprise!"

The voices, floating from the sitting room, sounded familiar. Wonderfully familiar.

She had barely entered the room when an unexpected grin cracked on her face. She very quickly lost it, but was happy anyways.

Sitting with her father was Tamaki, but the most surprising part was the fact that Hikaru and Kaoru were there as well, delicious-looking puddings set out in front of them.

She could hardly bring herself to say anything, and luckily for her, Tamaki was already out of his seat and running in her direction.

"Haruhi, Haruhi!" he said, grabbing her hands and holding them tightly. "Finally, you're home! We were waiting for you."

"I told them you were out at the grocery," Ranka said. His hair was dyed and long, concealing the gray that had grown in. He was still very youthful-looking, for his age, and a fresh coat of lipstick was on his lips. "Isn't this a wonderful surprise?"

"How... did this all work out?" Haruhi finally said, gesturing towards the remainder of the guests. Hunny cheerfully waved at her as she did so.

"Well, you see..." Tamaki said, letting go of her hands as he thought for a moment.

_The Day Before_

"Great hearing from you, Tamaki!" a voice on the telephone, either Hikaru or Kaoru, spoke. "How interesting! Really, Haruhi's in town?"

"Yeah, I think maybe we should visit her," Tamaki said cheerfully. The twins had called him back in the morning, and he had them on speaker phone, as he cut into his poached egg for breakfast.

"And just how, exactly, did you find this out?" another voice, further away, said. Apparently, Tamaki was also on speaker phone. He still couldn't tell whether or not it was Hikaru or Kaoru.

"She was on the plane to Tokyo with me," Tamaki replied. "We talked."

"Ooh, how interesting," the first voice said. It was a bit more nasal―probably Hikaru. "So, what do you propose we do?"

"Didn't you hear what I just said?" Tamaki said, putting his fork and egg into his mouth. "We should go visit her house."

"She lives in Tokyo? How come we haven't heard about this?" said the other voice (softer―probably Kaoru).

"Oh, well, she's visiting her father," said Tamaki. He swallowed.

"Ah, the okama," said Hikaru. "I think I remember where that little apartment was."

"So, sound like a good idea?" said Tamaki.

"Sure, we'll come!" the twins said, in perfect unison.

_Back to the Present_

"So that explains why you two are here," Haruhi said, leaning over to take a look at them. "Father, are you okay with them all being here?"

"I'm perfectly okay with everyone barging in on my house," Ranka said, laughing. "It's so nice to see you boys again, really, it is. Though, I really wonder why Kyoya-san couldn't be here."

"Well, he's, um..." Tamaki began, trying to think of an explanation. Haruhi looked at him, almost worried.

A voice from the threshold spoke. "He's a CEO."

"Oh! So he must be far too busy," said Ranka, and clapped his hands together, hardly noticing the voice was a new edition. "Oh well! It's wonderful having you all here, anyways. My, don't we have catching up to do!"

Tamaki, Haruhi, and the rest were staring at Hunny and Mori, who were standing near the living room. Hunny was bent over cheekily, a box of dessert in his possession.

"Eh?" said Haruhi.

"Ah, it's about time that you two showed up," Hikaru said, frowning. "What took you so long?"

"Traffic," Mori replied.

"Yeah, we were in such a jam!" said Hunny. "But we made it." He bounded up to Haruhi and presented the box to her. It seemed he had hardly grown at all since their last encounter. "Thank you very for having us! Haruhi-chan, you're still as cute as ever!"

"Thank you, Hunny-san, but I really have to go bring the groceries in," Haruhi said, waving the compliment and her surprise off with her hand. "My goodness, so many unexpected visitors..."

"How did you get the word that Haruhi was over here?" Tamaki asked.

_Also Yesterday Morning_

Following their telephone call with Tamaki, Kaoru and Hikaru found themselves plotting things.

"Do you think it would be a good thing," Hikaru asked his brother, "if we saw that Mori-san and Hunny-san were free? They'd both like to see her."

"I don't see why not," said Kaoru, and they dialed. Hunny was more than excited to pick up the phone and talk to them.

"Of course we'll come!" he said. "Oh, boy, I'm so excited to see Haruhi again! I grew _so_ much since she last saw me."

_Once Again, the Present_

"He hasn't grown all that much," Kaoru noted, as he and his brother and Tamaki observed Hunny trailing Haruhi into the kitchen to put away the other dessert. The other two nodded in agreement, as Mori followed Hunny.

"Oh, are we eating lunch here? Dinner?" said Hikaru.

"Do we have enough?" Ranka asked. Haruhi sighed.

"I _was_ going to make soba," she said, "and I only got enough for Father and me. But, I suppose I could find something more in here..."

"That would be great!" Hunny cheered. "We can eat the dessert we brought afterward, too."

"Oh, that would be wonderful! Could you, really?" said Tamaki. Haruhi nodded, and... smiled. Tamaki was almost shocked. She wasn't annoyed?

"Sure, I don't see why not," she said, and laughed. "Gee, it's just like how it used to be, huh? I have no idea how I put up with all of you back then..."

"We sure were stinkers, weren't we?" Hikaru said, a mischievous grin on his face, and began laughing.

"I'll be right back," Haruhi said, getting over her laughs and putting her shoes on, returning to the car to get the groceries.

"I think she's happy to see us!" Hunny said, smiling, while she was gone. "I was almost worried that we'd be bothering her, showing up unexpectedly like this."

"Me too," Mori said.

"Yeah, it's just been so long," said Kaoru. "We just sorta barged in here. You two, especially."

"You invited us," Mori said.

"Boys, boys, you're always welcome in my house," Ranka said, waving his hand at them. "No need to feel like you're intruding."

"You know what, we went to the wrong house at first!" said Kaoru. "Some other woman was living in your apartment."

"She thought you were me," Hikaru laughed. "Nobody can tell the difference, still."

"I wouldn't be so sure, Hikaru-san," Haruhi said, popping her head in the room, groceries in hand. Hikaru and Kaoru stared at her, amazed she could tell the difference, and she stuck the tip of her tongue through her lips at them.

"Stop staring!" she smiled. "Though, Tamaki-san, you could have called me in advance about this..."

"That would ruin the surprise!" Hunny cheered.

Haruhi laughed, placing the groceries on the counter in the nearby kitchen. "It's certainly a surprise," she said, just slightly sarcastically.

"Ah, Haruhi, you need any help with that?" Hikaru said, leaning over and watching her unload the food.

"I don't think so..." she said. Hikaru got up anyways, smiling, and unpacking the bags as well. "Hikaru-san! What are you doing?"

"Helping," he said. "What, am I not allowed to?"

"Not exactly..." Haruhi said, her voice a little lower. "You really don't have to."

Hikaru brandished a small box of noodles. "It's fun!" he said.

"Can I help, too?" said Hunny.

"Everyone, everyone! I can unpack the groceries by myself!" Haruhi said, and took the box of noodles from Hikaru's hand. "Thank you very much! Hikaru-san, go enjoy yourself. I'll make some tea."

"I already made some!" Ranka said. "Don't overexert yourself, sweetie!"

"Thank you, Dad," Haruhi said, rolling her eyes. "Oh, what's this? You brought pudding, didn't you, Tamaki-san? Is there enough for everyone?"

"No, we only brought enough for you and your father," Tamaki said. Haruhi sighed, then smiled.

"Hunny-san, would you like to eat your dessert now?" she asked.

Hunny's eyes, still large and childish at his age, lit up. "I thought you would never ask!" he said, and retrieved the box from the counter. "I got strawberries just for you, because I know you like them. I also got chocolate, in case nobody wanted strawberry. I know that Takashi doesn't like them..."

"I want chocolate, too," Hikaru pouted. Hunny gave him a small glare. 

"I brought both kinds, didn't you hear me?" he said. "We have cake for you too, Ranka-san."

"Thank you!" Ranka cheered. "Oh, what a high-class affair this is becoming! So delightful!"

"Father, don't make a spectacle of yourself, please," Haruhi sighed, bringing over a small tray of tea to the table. "Here you are."

"Thank you," Tamaki said, flashing her his warmest smile. She smiled back.

"Say, Haruhi, aren't I taller than I used to be?" Hunny said unexpectedly, as he was serving cake. "I've grown a lot."

If his height had anything to reflect on whether or not his attitude had matured at all, Haruhi suspected she was still dealing with very much the same Hunny. He had grown, at most, 3 centimeters.

"Yes, I suppose you have," she said, smiling politely. Technically, it wasn't a lie, and Hunny grinned. She sat. "I suppose this should hold us off for a bit," she said, as Hunny placed a cake in front of her, and she bit into it.

She had almost forgotten how good the cakes Hunny would bring were, and a memory from years back flashed in her mind.

"_You like strawberries, don't you?"_

"_Deluxe Sushi doesn't necessarily mean High Quality!"_

"_Commoner's Market! We want to go the Commoner's Market!"_

"_Your mother must have been a very special person."_

"You've been keeping in contact with my father?!"

_  
"Daddy just likes to hold shopping baskets, you know?"_

"Haruhi? Is there something wrong with the cake?" Hunny asked, looking a little worried. Haruhi swallowed, and smiled.

"No, not at all," she replied. "It's delicious!"

_Following Dessert_

"Oh, Haruhi-chan! I had just the greatest idea!" Ranka said, clapping his hands together and smiling.

"Hm?" Haruhi said.

"Why don't you make us shungiku sukiyaki? Wouldn't that be just delightful?" cheered Ranka. Haruhi sighed, giving her father a somewhat disgruntled look.

"I was just at the store, Dad..." she said.

"Yes," Ranka said, "but think of the memories! Oh, I can remember like yesterday the first time I met you all in person. The memories, Haruhi-chan, the mem-"

"All right!" she said, somewhat defeated. "Do you all want shungiku too?" Everyone nodded. "Okay. I'm going out!"

"We'll keep things together while you're away!" Hikaru called, as Haruhi put on her shoes and drove off.

Once she was quite far away, Tamaki glanced at everyone conspiratorially, and almost by instinct, the rest of them followed. 

"Ranka-san," he said gravely, "this is quite a tragic situation."

"What is?" Hunny said.

"Your daughter is unmarried!" Tamaki said, in full melodrama. He was feeling fantastic, his old self. He felt alive.

Ranka gave a bittersweet smile. "Yes, I know," he said. "It's what Haruhi wants now, I guess. And she's happy. But..." 

He broke into sobs. "I just want to be able to see my daughter's wedding day!" Hunny offered Ranka a comforting pat on the back, which calmed him down some. "It's just so... it _is_ tragic!"

"It is quite fashionable to be single these days, though," Kaoru noted. "Then again, being married is just as desirable."

"Yeah," Hikaru agreed. "And Haruhi does have a rather large career, too. She's very independent."

"But someone as cute as Haruhi doesn't deserve to be single!" Tamaki said. Everyone stared at him.

"Are you okay?" Hikaru said, and Tamaki realized just what he had been saying.

Really, what _was_ he saying? Wasn't this the sort of thing that would drive everyone away?

"I'm fine," Tamaki said. There was an uncomfortable silence for a while.

"Ah, I have an idea!" Hunny said, suddenly, pointing upwards. "Ranka-san, you want to find a husband for Haruhi?"

"Hunny-san, I don't think that's quite appropriate," Kaoru said, but was interrupted by Ranka nodding, to their surprise.

"Then, why don't we have a contest, and see who can win Haruhi's heart?" Hunny said, tilting his head and smiling. "It's just like how you and Tamaki-san and the rest used to do all the time! Don't you remember when we all went to the beach and tried to scare Haruhi? Just like that."

"_Haruhi, if you're going to throw the bugs around, you could do it a little more gently..."_

"_Wah! It's so dark in here, Haruhi! Aren't you scared? Aren't you scared?"_

"_It's a sword."_

"It was fun," Tamaki admitted, smiling. The Twins did as well, almost dreamy looks on their faces. Hunny noticed.

"See, now you're smiling!" he said. "You all think it's a good idea, too! Don't deny it."

"It's not particularly fair to Haruhi, though," said Tamaki. "I mean, a contest over who she's going to marry?"

"Yes, but... well, think about it, m'lord," Hikaru said. Tamaki had to fight back the urge to smile at the familiar nickname. "It could be just a dating game, too. We don't have to marry her."

"Though it would be best if one of you _did_ turn out to be her husband in the future," Ranka said, holding his elbows.

"We'll try not to do that, though," Kaoru said. "It wouldn't be fair to Haruhi."

"Right," the rest of them agreed.

Hunny smiled. "Then, we have a contest. Whoever wins the heart of Haruhi first, wins!"

There it was. The thing that they all desperately wanted to say, yet held back. As they looked at each other, thinking over the situation, they began to smile.

"It's a deal!" Tamaki and the twins chorused, and with Ranka's loud support, the contest unofficially began.

"Then let's decide what we're going to do," Hunny said. "One date per day, for each of us. So we can each try our best."

"We should have a schedule for the week she's here," Mori said.

Simultaneously, Tamaki and Hikaru declared that they would be going first.

"I was the first to agree to it," Hikaru argued.

"I was the one that called us all together, though!" Tamaki protested.

"Hey, stop fighting!" said Hunny, waving his hands at them. "We'll have Takashi go first."

"Why him?" everyone else chorused.

"Inconspicuous," Mori replied.

"Ah, that _does_ make sense," said the dissenters.

"I'll go next, then," said Kaoru. "Then you, Hunny-san?"

"Sure!" said Hunny. "Then you and Tamaki can decide who goes last, Hikaru-san."

The two of them eyed each other, before deciding on, and shouting loudly, "ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS!"

Hikaru was the victor. "I'll go last," he declared.

"My, so many wonderful possibilities," Ranka said, clapping his hands together. "I wish you good luck, boys!"

And all of them smiled.

Haruhi returned about a half hour later, completely oblivious of the fact.

But the competition was absolutely, and utterly, on.


End file.
